Household non-thermal processing for the dissolution of sea buckthorn flavonoids and the effects on its bioactive characteristics.

Abstract

Sea buckthorn flavonoids exhibit high utilization value in the processing of functional foods and non-thermal processing (NTP) has emerged as a sustainable alternative for flavonoid extraction. Among total flavonoid content evaluation by juicing, shearing, ultrasound, colloid mill, and high-pressure homogenization, juicing demonstrated comparable efficiency. Systematic characterization of sea buckthorn flavonoids/flavonols dissolution (SBF) revealed that its color, turbidity, and particle size progressively changed during processing, flavonol releasement exhibited time-dependent patterns, with cumulative dissolution rates reaching 14.15 % (quercetin), 12.79 % (kaempferol), 6.75 % (isorhamnetin) within 180 min. Fitting with first-order kinetics and Weibull model suggested that the dissolution mechanisms involved both diffusion-controlled and erosion-mediated. Besides, sea buckthorn dissolution products (SBD) showed strong α-glucosidase inhibition (IC₅₀: 5.18 mg/mL) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC: 428.76 μmol TE/mL). This study elucidated the dissolution behavior of SBF under NTP conditions, with particular focus on the kinetics of flavonol release, providing guidance for future value-maximizing utilization of SBF.